40 Best Restaurants in Paris, France

This beautiful historic bistro highlights the extraordinary synergy that can happen when French technique meets Korean flavors. Classics like pigeon or beef come alive with pickled daikon radish, tamarind, or Korean spice blends. You'll still find dishes firmly anchored in the French repertoire, like trout with trout caviar and whipped anchovy butter with lovage, or a caramel and quince dacquoise for dessert. This is a restaurant Parisians in the know will cross town for, and that's saying a lot.

Don't let its veneer of a mere neighborhood café mislead you—this is one of the most sought-after tables in the 7e arrondissement and a great option after a visit to the Musée d'Orsay just a few steps away. Jean and Roxane Sévégnès have transformed it into a restaurant Parisians adore, focused on seasonal dishes with a southwest flair that mix traditional recipes, like tripe, tête de veau (veal brains), or that hard-to-find favorite vol au vent (truffled sweetbreads with chicken and spinach in puff pastry) with a contemporary touch. A list of well-chosen wines, including natural and organic choices, and gentle prices for the quality make this a good choice, whether you happen to be in the neighborhood or not. Be sure to reserve, especially at dinner.

Lodged in one of Paris's most picturesque historic passages, the Italian Caffè Stern—a listed monument updated by designer Philippe Starck—is loaded with the sort of antique charm that makes a cup of coffee and dessert feel like a romantic moment in time. Full meals are a more elegant—and expensive—affair, though teatime (3 pm–6 pm, €26) and the prix-fixe lunch make for a more manageable splurge.

A favorite with the French and expats alike, this neighborhood bistro blends great dining with an inspired wine list and a handy location a stone's throw from the Louvre. Exquisite French ingredients are given an inspired, often slightly lighter, makeover by Chef Romain Roudeau, although hearty house-made terrines and foie gras as well as slow-cooked meat and game are frequently featured on the eclectic menu.

A perennial favorite, this lively, unpretentious bistro is prized by expats and locals for its friendly atmosphere, consistently good food, solid wine list, and English-speaking staff. Dishes like pork belly with crushed potatoes or swordfish with fresh vegetables always hit the spot, especially when followed by decadent chocolate ganache infused with candied bergamot or poached peaches with white wine and sorbet.

This world-renowned, cavernous spot with Art Deco murals practically defines the term brasserie. It's been popular since Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir were regulars, and today it attracts a mix of bourgeois families, tourists, and lone diners treating themselves to a dozen oysters. Recent additions to the classic brasserie menu are a tart of caramelized apple and pan-fried foie gras, beef fillet flambéed with cognac, and profiteroles made with Valrhona chocolate.

After taking over the original La Régalade, chef Bruno Doucet kept some of what made the old restaurant so popular (country terrines, reasonably priced wines, convivial atmosphere), but he also had a few tricks under his toque, notably creating a successful haute-cuisine-meets-comfort-food destination. With a good quality-to-price ratio, this chic bistro has evolved into a staple of the neighborhood.

With 100-plus locations worldwide, the largest branch of the Ladurée tea salon empire is worth the splurge, thanks to the sumptuous pastries, which steal the show. In addition to more than a dozen flavors of macarons, it has assorted cakes, ice cream, pastries, and beautifully boxed treats ideal for gift-giving. Reserve a table in the elegant wood-paneled rooms upstairs or the glassed-in storefront, or grab a bite in the secluded Art Nouveau bar in the back. Though pricey, the menu promises generous salads and flavorful plats du jour.

The Paul Bert delivers everything you could want from a traditional Paris bistro (faded 1930s decor, thick steak with real frites, and good value), so it's no wonder its two dining rooms fill every night with a cosmopolitan crowd. The impressively stocked wine cellar helps, as does the heaping cheese cart, the laid-back yet efficient staff, and hearty dishes such as monkfish with white beans and duck with pears. The prix-fixe lunch menu is only €22, or you can order à la carte.

This quaint, casual bistro a few blocks from the Musée d'Orsay is open seven days a week and serves its own scrumptious versions of the deeply satisfying French classics like a country terrine, brandade de morue (a garlicky, salty cod and mashed potato dish) and blanquette de veau (a delicious, creamy veal dish). Desserts are also traditionally French, and the giant dollop of chocolate mousse is to die for.

Across from a pretty square on the border of two up-and-coming neighborhoods, this light-drenched spot is one of Paris's standout gastro-bistros. By adhering to a tried-and-true formula—meticulously sourced produce, natural wines, and an open kitchen—the dishes here are small wonders of texture and flavor. This is a great choice for diners eager to experience what the Paris dining scene is all about in a hip, off-the-beaten-path locale.

Hide Kobayashi, known as "Koba," is one of several Japanese chefs in Paris who trained with some of the biggest names in French cuisine before opening their own restaurants. Not surprisingly, this great-value bistro near the Arc de Triomphe became instantly popular with locals as well as visiting Japanese and Americans who follow the food scene. Generosity is the key to the cooking here, which steers clear of haute-cuisine flourishes; both the monkfish fricassee with anchovy-rich tapenade and a classic veal kidney in mustard sauce, for instance, come with a heap of mashed potatoes. For dessert, try the stunning île flottante (floating island), made with oven-baked meringue. Wines by the glass start at €8—unheard-of in this area.

One of the city's best-kept secrets, this gem of bistro has been a fixture since 1936, and the new owners have retained the old-world vibe that's ever harder to come by in Paris, especially in the Marais. Cozy and full of charm—with beamed ceilings, stone walls, and a timeless decor—the atmosphere perfectly highlights chef Julien Chevallier's deliciously down-to-earth and seasonally inspired meats, fish, and charcuterie. A masterful wine list featuring natural wines rounds out the experience. Book a terrace table in summer. Stock up on gourmet items to bring home with you at the épicerie next door.

With amazing food and a convivial, unpretentious atmosphere, Septime has become one of the hottest tables in town. Seasonal ingredients, inventive pairings, and excellent natural wines bring in diners ready for exciting and sophisticated dishes like creamy gnochetti in an orange-rind-flecked Gouda sauce sprinkled with coriander flowers.

Jean-François Piège has breathed new life into A l'Epi d'Or, harking back to the '20s, when Paris was filled with delightful classic bistros. The allure of the old-fashioned zinc bar, tiled floor, and dark wood tables invites you in; the mastery of authentic French cuisine—such as duck confit with potatoes, house-made sausage, or veal blanquette—begs you to stay.

This "best craftsman of France" revives the gastronomic art of French charcuterie in dishes like dreamy foie gras and succulent slabs of country terrine enrobed in a golden buttery crust. The small-but-choice menu also highlights specialties from the sea: shellfish soufflé or delicate fish quenelles (a specialty of Lyon, France's charcuterie capital).

There are three good reasons to go to Astier: the generous cheese platter plunked on your table atop a help-yourself wicker tray, the exceptional wine cellar with bottles dating back to the 1970s, and the French bistro fare (even if portions seem to have diminished over the years). Dishes like marinated herring with warm potato salad, sausage with lentils, and baba au rhum are classics on the frequently changing set menu, which includes a selection of no less than 20 cheeses. The vintage 1950s wood-paneled dining room and traditional red-checked tablecloths attracts plenty of locals and remains a fairly sure bet in the area, especially because it's open every day.

If it's steak you're craving, put your faith in Jean-Luc Roulière, a fifth-generation butcher who opened this long, narrow bistro near St-Sulpice church. Partner Franck Pinturier is from the Auvergne region, which is also known for its melt-in-the-mouth meat, so start with a marinated octopus salad or a rich marrow bone before indulging in a generous slab of Limousin or Salers beef, excellent veal kidney, or, for the meat-shy, sea bream with fresh vegetables.

To see what well-heeled Parisians eat these days, book a table at this chic little bistro run by Jacques Lacipière as soon as you get to town. The contemporary dining room is unusually comfortable, and the sidewalk tables have an Eiffel Tower view, but it's the excellent, well-priced cuisine du marché that has made this spot a hit. The sophisticated fare sometimes features Salers beef and green asparagus, roasted lobster with mushroom risotto, and game in season. House-made desserts could include citrus terrine with passion-fruit sorbet or caramelized apple mille-feuille with hazelnut ice cream. The €39 prix-fixe menu for lunch or dinner, featuring dishes with distinct haute-cuisine touches, is one of the city's great bargains.

Parisian gastronomic extravagance has largely disappeared in favor of leaner fare. But that is not so at this beloved stalwart, where you can revel in such Gallic classics as towering soufflés, buttery frogs' legs, or a hearty steak smothered in sauce béarnaise. A favorite among politicians and locals, who feel the fare is well worth the tweak to the pocketbook (and the waistline).

Tile floors, mercury mirrors, bentwood chairs, and a menu of classic French comfort foods proffered by talented young chef Édouart Vermynck take you back to a charming Paris of old (the bistrot was first opened in 1922). Start with homey oeufs-mayo or croque-monsieur with jambon de Paris followed by golden Landes hen with morel cream or tender scallops in a delicate beurre blanc. For dessert, don't miss the billowy mousse au chocolat or grandma's tarte tatin with raw crème fraiche. Set on a quiet street between Bastille and the Place des Vosges, this is a quintessential black book spot.

A pinnacle of Second Empire opulence, this Paris landmark was once an obligatory stop on the sophisticated gastronome's tour of Paris and a favorite watering hole among the likes of Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, Arthur Conan Doyle, Josephine Baker, and Marlene Dietrich. While super-fresh heaping seafood platters are your best bet here, you'll do just as well with a classic French dish or an apéro on the terrace as the sun sets over the Opéra Garnier across the street—a magical Parisian scene indeed. A recent renovation has buffed the frescoed walls and ceilings to their original gilded luster. 

A charming and much less infamous version of its sumptuous mothership—the legendary 250-year-old Parisian restaurant Lapérouse—this light-drenched café, housed within the beautiful Hôtel de la Marine, has all the romance of a 19th-century luxury cruiseliner bound for exotic shores: plush banquettes in sorbet colors, glittering chandeliers, and touches from faraway places. It's equally wonderful for breakfast, lunch, dinner, teatime, or even a quick cocktail, indoors or on the colonnaded terrace facing Place de la Concorde or the mansion's elegant courtyard.

Just off glitzy Avenue Montaigne, Chez Savy's Art Deco cream-and-burgundy interior is blissfully intact, occupying its own circa-1930s microcosm. Fill up on rib-sticking specialties from the Aveyron region of central France—lentil salad with bacon, foie gras (prepared on the premises), perfectly charred lamb with featherlight shoestring frites, and pedigreed Charolais beef. Order a celebratory bottle of Mercurey with your meal, and feel smug that you've found this place.

A popular and pricey bar-restaurant, the Closerie is also a staple of Parisian literary tours for its storied history. Commemorative plaques are bolted to the bar as if they were still saving seats for their former clientele: an impressive list of literati including Zola, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Apollinaire, Beckett, and, of course, Hemingway. ("Papa" wrote pages of The Sun Also Rises here and lived around the corner at 115 rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs.) Although the lilacs that once graced the garden—and shaded such habitués as Ingres, Whistler, and Cézanne—are gone, the terrace still opens onto a garden wall of luxuriant foliage. There is live music in the piano bar. There are two menus here; the brasserie menu, served near the bar, is less expensive and very good.

If you're seeking good food among a chicest-of-chic crowd, this beautifully designed restaurant—whose sole aim is to provide you a "sensorial experience"—is just the place. Chef Baptiste Trudel, a Top Chef contender, concocts gastronomic dishes that you might find at a fantasy of a Russian country getaway—beef tartare with red wine–shallot "caviar" or a rich black pudding of squid and mushrooms—paired with wines from a truly impressive list. In the dusky and DJ-helmed Spootnik bar downstairs, you can indulge in a nightcap (and a range of good tapas).

Best known for the literary prizes awarded here since 1914, Drouant has shed its dusty image to become a forward-thinking restaurant. The playful menu revisits the French hors d'oeuvres tradition with starters that come as a series of four plates; diners can pick from themes such as French classics (like a deconstructed leek salad) or convincing minitakes on Thai and Moroccan dishes. Main courses similarly encourage grazing, with accompaniments in little cast-iron pots and white porcelain dishes. Even desserts take the form of several tasting plates. Pace yourself, since the portions are generous and the cost of a meal quickly adds up.

Soaring ceilings with exposed beams, globe lighting, velvet chairs, and marble-top tables give this superchic eatery the look of a classic brasserie gone upscale. The menu, designed by three-star chef Mauro Colagreco of the world-renowned Mirazur restaurant on the Riviera, features market-fresh French classics complemented by a wine list with plenty of by-the-glass offerings. Best of all, a spacious cobbled outdoor courtyard makes dining here a joy on nice days.

After extravagant success with his Asian-infused cuisine at Ze Kitchen Galerie, master-chef William Ledeuil extended his artistry to annex KGB (Kitchen Galerie Bis) just down the street, this time with a more casual focus and gentler prices. The three-course lunch menu is €39 and the six-course tasting menu is €75 without wine. A la carte appetizers and mains are also available. Whatever you order, the presentation and flavors of Ledeuil's cooking will not disappoint. 

Despite the chic, updated decor, this tiny, reliable bistro hasn't sacrificed substance for style. The servers are friendly, the wine list is small but well curated, and the dining is first-rate, with a three-course dinner menu (you can order à la carte, but it's less of a bargain) of original dishes marrying terroir-driven ingredients like Charolais beef, foie gras from the Landes, and organic eggs with contemporary touches and pretty plating.